AT&T to Throttle Unlimited Data Plan Customers Starting in October

[maconservative]

Sorry, but you are wrong...

You still have the unlimited data usage, you just can’t use up all the bandwidth to do this. You’re not paying for the speed, you’re paying for the data usage.

The first iPhone (EDGE) cost $20 per month for unlimited data. When I switched to the iPhone 3GS (3G), the unlimited data cost increased to $30 per month. Using simple math, this equates to a $10 premium to utilize unlimited data at 3G speeds.

 

[macaframalama]

I would LOVE to be throttled! That would mean I actually maintained connection long enough to use the data at a high speed to be in the top x% of users.

Counting down my last month until I switch to Verizon...[/QUOTE

 

[iScott428]

What about those that don't? Blame AT&T as you implied. They're the one's outselling their network availability and pocketing the cash instead of upping bandwidth.

I read somewhere (and it could be wrong, I don't know) that these telecommunications companies get bandwidth for $0.02/GB. TWO CENTS. If that's right, and I believe it's probably close, then you can understand my irritation when people blame other people on the network instead of holding the company that you have a contract with responsible.

It's AT&T's job to honor their contract and build their product to support the users they sign up for. Especially when we all have the same rights and chances to sign up to the same network and data plans.

Seriously this is exactly why it makes sense not to follow rules, because even if you follow the law to the T you will still get punished for all the people that do not.

Yeah .02 sounds about right and yeah AT&T should have been investing in their network, not over selling availability.

This just sucks.

 

[zin]

This is similar to what Virgin Media does with their cable broadband here in the UK. The only difference I suspect is that ATT will be very horrible with what they consider "heavy" usage, and also with the fact that normal service doesn't resume until the next entire billing period. That's awful.

 

[HBOC]

I love the whiners in these types of threads. I consider myself a heavy data user, and if I break 1GB per month, it's a lot. I will have the unlimited plan from the beginning, and will keep it as long as I can, but jeez, if your using more than that, or over 2GB per month, you need to get a freakin' life. Get off the damn phone\internet and go out and breath the air, LOL.

Some people use their devices for GPS when out hiking or driving. That uses data as well. So just because they use a lot of data, doesn't necessarily mean that are "hobbits", ya know. I know what you are saying, but there are always exceptions to the rules.

When I am out shooting (photography), a lot of times I will be looking up different trail info and such. I have a 2GB plan and don't really reach 1GB that often.

 

[aughsum]

For those who can't do math, limiting speed is in effect limiting usage. If you limit the speed to 1/4 of the max, then you're capping the usage at 1/4 the max. It's just a different way to get around it.

UNLIMITED means NO LIMITS. Speed limits are a limit. Period. Just because you aren't affected doesn't mean that it's right or "no big deal".

Tell me this: What happens when the top 5% cancel and go to Sprint? Who becomes the next 5%? And on and on. Stop thinking only about yourself and your situation, and realize that it eventually can affect you.

And no, I'm NOT a heavy data user. In fact, I use, at most, 300MB a month. And that's A LOT for me. But I'm still on unlimited, because I do not want to pay only $5 less for a 2 GB cap. I want the knowledge that I can use what I want, when I want, and I PAID for that right. I'm not abusing anything if I'm using data.

And no, tethering with JB is NOT abuse in my mind. Data is data, regardless of what device is using it. Sorry.

So, you're complaining about something that doesn't affect you, at all?

 

[Earendil]

I fully support this.

They are not targeting the high volume user. They are targeting the abuser who tethers his entire home internet connection to his phone.

I don't think so. 5% of users is 1 in 20 people. I would stake some money on saying that 19 out of 20 aren't "power" users. 5% is targeting the MacRumors types, people that know how to use the device to the fullest. Throttling one in twenty sounds a bit worse, doesn't it?

 

[srl7741]

What IF ?

During some months no one goes over will they still throttle the top 5% anyway?

I realize that's probably not going to happen but it's fair question.

 

[Zimmy68]

It's about time.
They didn't need to get rid of their unlimited plan in the first place if they instituted this a few years ago.
When it is known that like 4% d-bags use most of the 90% data, throttle them back!

 

[carmenodie]

I think a lot of you miss the point. This is just an elaborate TAX on data use. It cost AT&T nothing for electrons speeding through your cell phone.
Hell, it's like charging people for the amount of sun they get.
And what a lot of you oompa loompas don't get is that as the phones get faster you will be downloading content with so much ease you'd go over your data limit in a snap. You won't even know it.
At that point a welcoming lashing will come from consumer advocacy groups towards the telecoms about their sheer greed in this matter.
And is there any correlation between those higher speed phones and radiation emittance? If there is, and I tends to think so, then I suppose a 10 G phone would be like holding a piece of uranium 236 up to your head.

 

[blackpond]

This thread is lousy with corporate apologists.

AT&T is baiting and switching the early adopters who made the iphone a success. They sold an unlimited data plan to lure customers in, and have taken a series of steps to invalidate the plan they originally sold us on. I don't care if there was fine print about "abusers," I care about getting what I've been paying for. AT&T is screwing over its costumers yet again, and I'm amazed at the people who are defending it.

That unlimited data plan was tied to a contract. Are they still under that original contract? It was my understanding that those contracts lasted two years. Anything after that is merely an olive branch to the customer. AT&T is not tied to that obligation any more than the customers who elect whether or not to continue service each month.

 

[cyks]

I don't have an iPhone or even a smart phone... just a 3 year old, semi-intelligent, 3G phone, that allows me to listen to and watch streaming music and videos where I work (where WiFi is not available).

I have intentionally NOT upgraded my phone because of the automatic change in data plan I'd have to go through.

As it stands, I average 2.5-3G a month, although I have topped 5G on more then one occasion... all without tethering, jailbreaking, or even having a smartphone.


Here I am, using a sub-par phone and intentionally giving up my chances to upgrade, just so I can remain on an unlimited plan... and I'll easily be one of those effected (if I'm still with AT&T by then).

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

I smell a lawsuit over this stupid decision...

 

[thetoad30]

No they are not because the top users where using their data out of contract on unapproved devices ie free tethering.

Whether the data comes to my phone or another device, it's the same amount of data. This argument about tethering being harder on the network is just ridiculous. Both devices pull data at a set max speed, it's the same data regardless of which one is being used.

Proof? 24 hours is 86400 seconds.

Say max speed on AT&T is 1500kbps (1.5 meg). This amounts to a max data of 129600000kb per day. Divide to get GB ~ 15.5 GB per day.

Doesn't matter if a computer tethering is doing this, 10 computers tethering, or one iPhone "on-contract". It's the same max data since the pipe is so big and you can't get higher than the speed times the usage.

 

[ateslik]

Why! They are still giving you unlimited data. Just can't consume it as fast.

unlimited. can't.

unlimited. can't.

unlimited. can't.

See the problem yet?

 

[rjohnstone]

I smell a lawsuit over this stupid decision...

On what grounds?

"Speed" is not guaranteed in ANY contract.

 

[ratzzo]

The first iPhone (EDGE) cost $20 per month for unlimited data. When I switched to the iPhone 3GS (3G), the unlimited data cost increased to $30 per month. Using simple math, this equates to a $10 premium to utilize unlimited data at 3G speeds.

That was before the smartphone and tablet market exploded though. Carrier data networks have become very saturated by the number of users it holds. It really is up to the carrier in question to invest into network upgrades, but if they can increase the cost and get away with it, can you blame them?

In a way, I suppose that a spot in today's data network is just becoming more costly than what it was before. Likewise I am slightly confused on this subject, seeing how it was completely valid for them to charge $30 for unlimited 3G, and they got profits from it, the fact that the network is saturated shouldn't come as an excuse to increase the price as everyone is still paying their $30. Perhaps this cost was designed with a not-so-dense use in mind, but it is still interesting to ask yourself, how could they do it before and not now with the same amount of money? If anything pricing should go down by pure logic, but yeah..

 

[coolbreeze]

On what grounds?

"Speed" is not guaranteed in ANY contract.

It's not speed, it's a change in TOS.

I do agree, however, that even though a lawsuit will be attempted, AT&T will win this fight.

 

[ks-man]

I actually thought AT&T was already throttling. When I try and watch my Slingbox on my iPhone it will usually stop working (buffering every few seconds) after about 5 or 10 mins of watching.

I agree that at some point AT&T can't control the heavy users and for the good of everybody on their network they must take some action. It isn't realistic for those who answer "Build a better network". The growth of data usage on mobile devices has grown and is growing exponentially so any benefits they make to the network will be gobbled up by usage immediately.

I do think they need to give anybody on contract the opportunity to get out without an early termination fee since the contract is changing. It also would be nice to have an idea of what type of data would get one into this "top 5%". Are we talking 3-4GB/month or 10+GB/month. As people have already mentioned it is possible that some individuals have jailbroken and are using it as their home wifi. I use anywhere from 20-80Gb/month on my home Comcast. If people are doing that over AT&T 3G they are harming us all and need to be reigned in.

 

[M-5]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

Some people say that staying under the cap shouldn't be that difficult because we can just use Wifi, but my AT&T wifi connection sucks so much that it will literally disconnect every 2-3 Minutes! I can't browse the web on my computer on this ****** service without my wifi connection disconnecting during a YouTube video or while loading a webpage.

It frustrates me to no end. So lately I began Tethering from my iPhones Unlimited data plan to my computer, which was slower than the wifi, but at least I got a steady usable connection. And now I hear of this news, and I just feel that AT&T is raping me in the a$$.

I hate that im paying for a wifi home service that doesn't work how it's supposed to, And there are no other alternatives in my area. An AT&T technician has come on two separate occasions to fix this problem, but while I was on the phone with them they simply said that they were working on the issue, which has been an issue for almost 2 years, and weren't even sure if the issue was lack of infrastructure here or simply heavy usage from other people in this area.

 

[thetoad30]

So, you're complaining about something that doesn't affect you, at all?

No. I'm complaining about signing up for something that is now being switched and I have no rights or say-so. I can't break contract just because their service is horrible, but THEY can change my contract because they can't get their heads out of their asses and fix their product.

If AT&T can't deliver on their promises or the promises of the phone they're selling, they shouldn't be promising or selling that phone. Period. It's not like AT&T didn't KNOW that their exclusivity agreement wouldn't cause problems. And if they didn't, they've had how many years to fix it while cashing in on the iPhone line?

 

[ratzzo]

What IF ?

During some months no one goes over will they still throttle the top 5% anyway?

I realize that's probably not going to happen but it's fair question.

Every billing cycle is different to a carrier's eyes. It's as if you started back in square one. Previous billings don't matter in this scenario. It would be a fair option though. But then again you will always come across the moron who will decide to not use anything for a few months and then just blow it all in a couple of days -- I'm sure AT&T wouldn't like that

 

[manu chao]

I am one of the grandfathered in people and my biggest problem with this is.

How much puts me in that top 5%? Don't just start sending me texts when I get close to it, tell me what qualifies for that top 5%. It seems asinine that I have a unlimited plan and they can just slow down my speed at their whim.

What is even more asine that as people notice the slowdown (and assuming it is irritating enough) they might start to reduce their consumption which will then lower the data volume associated with the 95% to 5% boundary. And then other people will reduce their consumption. This could turn out to be a race to the bottom.
Better to be explicit and say we'll slow down after x GB.

Some people use their devices for GPS when out hiking or driving. That uses data as well.

When I am out shooting (photography), a lot of times I will be looking up different trail info and such. I have a 2GB plan and don't really reach 1GB that often.

I routinely do this, and I fit into a 250 MB plan, looking up maps does use that much data. Be real, the real big hitters are:
- video
- streaming audio
- podcasts and apps

I don't do any of these and thus fit into my 250 MB plan.

Goodbye iOS updates over the air.

iOS updates only work over WiFi anyway.

 

[rjohnstone]

It's not speed, it's a change in TOS.

I do agree, however, that even though a lawsuit will be attempted, AT&T will win this fight.

Change in the TOS is grounds to leave your contract without penalty. Nothing more.

it is not grounds for any lawsuit.

 

[thetoad30]

It's about time.
They didn't need to get rid of their unlimited plan in the first place if they instituted this a few years ago.
When it is known that like 4% d-bags use most of the 90% data, throttle them back!

And one could say you're a "d-bag" for not using the phone to the fullest extent. Again, just because YOU don't need it/use it, doesn't mean someone else is in the same situation.